Fiber spinning of viscoelastic liquid

The fiber spinning process of viscoelastic liquid is successfully analyzed by means of a nonlinear integral constitutive equation, finite‐element discretization, and Newton iteration. The process is cast and studied both as an initial value problem, which requires the specification of the drawing force, and as a two‐point boundary value problem, which requires the specification of the draw ratio. Solutions are obtained up to high elasticity, high draw ratio, and large drawing force. The results agree with the analytic asymptotic solution for Newtonian liquid, with existing numerical solutions in the limiting case of the upper‐convected Maxwell liquid, and with available experimental data on spinning of polystyrene melt at 170°C and low‐density polyethylene at 150°C.